Holding attachment for pliers



July 15, 1941.

s. E; LITTLEFIELD HOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR PLIERS Filed March 28, 1940Patented July 15, 1941 UNITE o STATES PA'I? ENT F-Fl CEHOLDING-ATTACHMENT FOR PLI ERS 1 Stanley E. Littlefield, Rockport, Mass.

ApplicationMarch 28, 1940;. Serial: N o; 326,48L

4 Claims.

This invention relatestoa holding orsettingattachment for pliers and'aims to provide a" device of simple construction adapted'to be madeapart of a pair of pliers for holding the plier members in a pluralityof adjustedpositions'relatively to each other for setting the jaws ofthe pliers in aplurality of positions.

More particularly, it is an aim of this invention. to provide a pair ofpliers including a row of notchesLfor-med on one of the pliermembersdisposed' concentric with their pivot, and a detent carried bytheother plier member for releasably and selectively engaging saidnotches for holding the plier members in a plurality of adjust'ed'positions;-

Still another aim of the invention is to provide improved means foryieldably urging the detent into position between ribs on one of theplier members for thereby keying the detent to said plier member, and abutton attached to the detent for moving it out of engagement with thenotches, and against the action of said spring.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter becomemore fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, whichillustrates a preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a pair of pliers, constructed inaccordance with the invention,

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same,

Figures 3 and 4 are transverse sectional views taken substantially alongthe planes of the lines 3-3 and 44, respectively, of Figure 1, and

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the detent detached.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, wherein like referencecharacters designate like or corresponding parts throughout thediiferent views, III designates generally a pair of pliers including theplier members II and I2 having the handle portions I3 and I4,respectively, and the corresponding jaws I5. The jaws I5 are ofconventional construction and are provided with the adjacent, serratedengaging faces I6. Plier members II and I2 are pivotally connected bymeans of the headed bolt H or may be connected in any other conventionalmanner as by means of a pin or rivet, not shown.

The plier member II is provided with an arcuately shaped edge portion I8disposed concentric to the pivot bolt I1 and which is provided with aseries of notches I9 forming a series of teeth 20. An arcuately shapedguard strip 2| projects outwardly from the plier member II, at

the base of the-notches. t9; and is disposed concentric. with theedgeportion I8 'I-h'e :shank: of: the handle: portion I 4 is provided witha'lp'air ofspaced, substantially parallel ribs 22;. on itsinnersidawhich combine toform the opening 24. The shank or stem 28 isprovidedwith. a: threaded recess. 2 9 which: opens outwardly of its free end andwhich is adapted to receive the threaded end of the shank of a pin 30provided with a head 3| at its opposite end. An expansion coil spring 32is carried by the shank of the pin 30 and has one of its ends abuttingagainst the outer side of the shank portion of the handle I4 and itsopposite end abutting against the inner side of the head 3| to draw theshank or stem 28 inwardly of the opening 24 so that when the arm 26 isdisposed parallel to the ribs 22 it will be drawn into the groove 23 tobe held by the ribs 22 from turning relatively to the plier member I2.

When the detent 25 is thus positioned with the arm 26 disposed betweenthe ribs 22 and with its tapered end 21 projecting toward the jaws I5,said tapered end 21 will be disposed in one of the notches I9, as seenin Figure 1, to hold the plier members II and I2 and their jaws I5 in aset position relatively to each other. To change the setting of the jawsI5, the head 3I is pressed inwardly or toward the plier member I2 tomove the arm 26 out of engagement with the groove 23 and the ribs 22 tothereby move its end 21 out of engagement with the notches I9 so thatthe plier members I I and I2 may be swung relatively to each other tovary the size of the opening between the faces IIi of the jaws I5. Theguide strip 2I forms a guide for the end 21 of the detent 25 while thepliers I!) are being adjusted so that when the adjustment has been madepressure on the head 3I can be released to allow the spring 30 to drawthe detent 25 toward the plier member I2 so that the arm 26 will bedrawn back into the groove 23 to again key it to the member I2 and tomove its end 21 into engagement with one of the notches I9. It will thusbe seen that the pliers I0 may be set at a plurality of adjustedpositions and so held by engagement of the detent 25 with one of thenotches I9 until the detent 25 is released by pressure on the head 3| ofthe pin 30. The setting attachment can be made inoperative by moving thedetent 25, as heretofore explained, until the arm 26 is out ofengagement with the ribs 22 after which the detent can be turned throughan arc of substantially 180 to position the arm 26, as seen in dottedlines in Figure 1, in which position it will be held by the spring 32drawing it back to engagement with the ribs 22.

When the detent 25 is thus positioned the pliers It] may be used in theconventional manner.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously beresorted to as" only a preferred embodiment of the invention has beendisclosed.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination with a pair of pliers, including a pair of pliermembers each comprising a jaw and a handle portion, said plier'membersbeing pivotally connected intermediate of their ends, the outer edge ofone of said plier members having an arcuately shaped portion concentricwith said pivot and provided with a series of notches, the handle,portion of the other plier member being provided with an opening, an armhaving a shank projecting laterally therefrom for slidably and swivellyengaging said opening, spring means for yieldably retaining the shank inthe opening for yieldably mounting the arm relatively to said handleportion, and said arm' having a tapered end for selectively engagingsaid notches for setting the plier members relatively to each other.

2. A device as in claim 1, comprising a pair of 35? spaced ribs formedon said first mentioned handle portion and between which said arm isremovably disposed to prevent the arm from turning relatively to saidhandle portion.

3. A device as in claim 1, comprising an arcuately shaped guide plateprojecting outwardly from the first mentioned plier member and disposedbeneath and concentric with said notches to provide a guide for theforward end of the arm, when out of engagement with the notches.

4. An attachment for pliers comprising in combination with a pair ofplier members pivotally connected to each other between their jaws andhandle portions, a detent comprising an arm having a laterallyprojecting shank portion adjacent one end thereof, one of said pliermembers being provided with an opening in which said shank portion isloosely and rotatably mounted, a headed pin having its shank portionsecured in the free end of said first mentioned shank, an expansionjcoilspring carried by said pin and disposed between its head and said pliermember for urging the shank of said detent inwardly of said opening,ribs projecting outwardly from one side of said plier member and betweenwhich said arm is removably held by said spring, and said other pliermember being provided with an arcuately shaped portion disposedconcentric to the pivot of said plier members and provided with a seriesof notches disposed to be selectively engaged by one end of said arm forholding the plier members in a plurality of adjusted positionsrelatively to each other.

STANLEY E. LIT'I'LEFIELD.

